Pomegranates in a Salt Lake City garden? It can happen!

Who's ready to fast-forward to fall? I am, and here's my first clue it'll be a good'un.

State of play: About 20 little pomegranates are growing in my yard!

• I mentioned several weeks ago that my shrub was flowering well and might be a worthy addition to your garden.

Driving the news: I love pomegranates.

• Also, they aren't widely grown in Salt Lake, which used to be too cold.

How it works: My pomegranate bush is "espaliered" — that is, anchored against a south-facing wall for protection and warmth.

• The Parfianka variety was the hardiest one I could find when I planted it in 2016.
• I don't fertilize or insulate it. Site placement seems to be the key.

What they're saying: "That's something that does not grow so great here. You have to coax it a little bit," KRCL's Punk Rock Farmer Aldine Strychnine said when I appeared with him and Lara Jones in July on the station's RadioACTive show.

Reality check: A handful of my pomegranates are marble-sized, and most years I have several that never get big enough to eat.

Yes, but: The flowers fruited earlier this year than last year, so they may still have enough summer left to grow.